"I think the people have to be their own hope and their own change"

Scott Drexel is an american blogger who works for "Eyes on Obama" website, created to be a voice in favor of Obama, some months ago, when the presidential campaign began. In this interview he uses his experience on Political Science to answer some questions about the new president of the United States and his election. He prefers not to see Obama as a messianic figure, but he knows that the new president has "the tenacity and the character to fight political battles in the name of progress and prosperity "

1.- I would like to know your age, your job, studies... just to know who is answering the interview, and how did you join "Eyes on Obama"

I'm 24 years old, and I have a degree in Political Science from Berkeley. Before I came to EOO, I worked as a strategist for Senator John Edwards' presidential campaign. When he lost the Democratic primary, everyone in the campaign needed to look for new work. I came across a position at EOO and accepted it. I'm working on a law degree in Los Angeles now.

2.- How, when and why did "Eyes on Obama" begin? Which is your purposes as a website?

The site had two purposes from the start. On the one had, Talat (the site's founder) was a huge Obama supporter. Since 2006, Hillary Clintom was seen as an all but certain Democratic nominee for president. But there were a lot of people who had serious concerns about whether or not she could win a general election, so the party was split almost 50-50, with more people supportomg Obama every day. Because Clinton's history gave her a big fundraising advantage with high-end donors, Obama had to find whatever wealthy donors were left, and then make up the difference with small donations of $5 to $20 in a much greater volume. That meant the internet was going to be a battleground, and EOO was meant to be a voice in favor of Obama, trying to use insightful articles to show undecideds why they should back Obama.

On the other hand, it was also a business venture. Obama was only elected to the Senate in 2004, so not a lot of people knew who he was. Internet searches for information about him were high, so that meant a site dedicated to him could generate advaertisimg revenue if it could attract enough visitors. So around March of 2008, Talat launched the site and began looking for writers.

3.- How do you think the racial fact has influenced on the election of Obama? What happened with "Bradley effect"?

Race was important, both as a positive and a negative factor. There were of course some voters who never would have supported a black candidate. But blacks (who as a community generally don't vote in large numbers) had a big turnout in 2008. So while race did matter, it likely balanced out for Obama, and probably helped him win states (like North Carolina) he otherwise couldn't have.

The Bradley Effect comes from an election for mayor of Los Angeles during the 1980s. Tom Bradley was a black candidate who had a big lead in the polls bit ended up losing. Some political analysts explained it by claiming that the people who were polled didn't want to admit to a pollster that they had voted for his white opponent because they didn't want to be perceived as racist. But the Bradley Effect hasn't really been demonstrated often enough or conclusiveley enough to show that it really exists. And if you look at the polls going into the election, they were pretty accurate, and Obama even won a few where he wad close, but losing. So I don't think it played any part in this election at all.

4.- What do you think about the incredible Media Campaign of Obama's team? Which has been his secret to win?

Obama's media team was great, and they did a great job keeping people curious and interested.

But what propelled him was his finance team. Money is almost everything in American elections, because it allows the candidate to run TV ads in expensive media markets that will reach millions of viewers. The fact that Obama outraised the wife of a popular former president with a fundraising network already in place is astounding. And what's more is that so much of Obama's money came from people who couldn't afford more than a few dollars. Obama crushed fundraising records, pulling in almost 3/4 of a billion dollars.

4.- What do you think about the voting participation in this elections? specially after a president so critiziced as George Bush?

I think the perception of Bush in Europe is a lot worse than it is here in the US. If he could have run again, there are a lot of people who would have voted for him. In fact, I think he would have done a lot better than McCain. Bush has a very low approval rating, but I can assure you that if he had the benefit of a campaign, running ads about him and how Iraq has slowly become a success (albeit a costly one) he'd be a lot more popular than he is now. After all, people were sure that such an unpopular man could be reelected in 2004. But he was. There are a lot of liberals here in the US who probably would disagree with me. But the truth is that conservative Americans put such a different set of standards on candidates. It's hard to explain to liberals (whose thinking is quite similar to Europeans') why someone would ever vote for Bush again. But they will. Just look at his brother Jeb, who will run for the Senate in Florida and win. In another few
years, I think he'll run for president and have a great shot.

As for voting participation, there were so many factors that led to Obama's win, from a poor economy to a weak opponent.

5.- Is Obama really the hope for the country? Is he really the CHANGE? Why?

I think the people have to be their own hope and their own change. Barack Obama didn't mandate those things, the people did, and they entrusted him with the responsibility to put mechanisms into place that will lead to a stronger economy, investment in human capital (jobs and education), and the pursuit of realistic solutions to problems that have been plaguing the US and the world for decades. But I think it's a mistake to view Obama as a messianic figure.

Barack Obama has shown the tenacity and the character to fight political battles in the name of progress and prosperity, to reassure the American people in times of doubt, and to never tire in the pursuit of peaceful solutions to armed conflict.

But as far as the ideals he'll put forward, they're the same principles that have been in the Democratic Party platform since Franklin Roosevelt. And while I think Obama will be an excellent representative of them, I don't think the ideas themselves are new.

6.- How do you think Joe Bidden and Hillary Clinton will influence Obama's presidency?

I think Biden will have a big impact in keeping Obama moving foreward. Biden has a long history of supporting common sense agendas, even when it hasn't been popular. Plus, I think he'll be a good liaison between the Whit House and the Senate.

Hillary is a wild card. She will largely be left to run her own office. But I think by appointing her to the Cabinet, Obama secured the support of party insiders and Clinton loyalists who are still angry that she's not the one who will end up in the White House. So I think she'll be a good, strong diplomat and representative of the US, she serves an important political purpose as well.

7.- Which worries have the american people right now? is the Iraq's war one of the most importants? How do you hope Obama to act?

Iraq probably ranks pretty low on the list of priorities for most Americans. There is very little violence there at this point, and we've got a withdrawal date set for 2011. So especially when compared to when we were losing 100 soldiers every month, people aren't as concerned on a daily basis.

What really worries most Americans is the economy. The jobless rate is climbing, and people today weren't alive during the Great Depression. They've only seen pictures of the soup lines and people looking for day labor. The thought of losing their homes and jobs is truly frightening.

What they are hoping is that Obama's economic team (which is just incredibly talented and experienced) will be able to stop the bleeding, to keep them in the jobs they have, and to help stabilize the institutions that power our economy. That will mean taking some steps toward responsible spending, as well as making sure that the investments the government makes in the private sector yield strong returns.

8.- How did you live 4th november in United States? I think the expectation exists in the whole world but, how do an american live a day like this?

In the weeks leading up to the 2004 election, the polls were close, so there was a sense of both excitement that John Kerry would win, and dread that George Bush would (or the other way around). But this time, Obama had such a huge lead in the last few weeks that his win was almost certain, so that sense of dread was gone.

When Obama won, I felt a sensenof relief, that the Bush years had finally ended. And I think thy even people who didn't vote for Obama were left feeling that a good, intelligent and sensible man had won.


www.eyesonobama.com